Chapter Three: What about Tongues (part three)?

I once sat in a church where people were encouraged to “take some time now and worship God in your own way.” Immediately, scores, if not hundreds, of people began speaking in tongues all at once. This was once described as a "symphony of speaking in tongues." As I pondered the event, I asked the question, “Why?” Why did this happen? Is this the way God intended it to be? This led to another question, “Why the gift of tongues?” Why did God grant to some the ability to supernaturally speak in foreign languages to others who would not normally be able to understand them? Why did God bestow on some the ability to speak (and or interpret) languages foreign to them? It is likely that if you asked 50 Christian people for their opinions that you would likely receive numerous opinions. Therefore, we must ask and answer the most important question, “What does the Bible say?”

Does the Bible, anywhere, give a clear indication of the purpose of tongues? The Spirit of God speaking through the pen of His apostle provides us insight in His letter to the unruly church at Corinth, which abused the graces God gave them. What does He say? Speaking through the pen of Paul the Holy Spirit says this:

18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, "BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME," says the Lord. 22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad (1Co 14:18-23)?

Look at the “So then” statement: “So then tongues are a sign, not for those who believe but unbelievers.” “So then” is equivalent to “in conclusion,” or “therefore,” or “in light of what I just said…” “So then” points us back up the stream of thought. Let us ask ourselves this question, “What was the previous line of reasoning?” Just what was the previous line of reasoning? Paul was warning them of their self-absorbed, self-oriented displays of self-exaltation. In the wider context of 1 Corinthians 13, setting up chapter 14, the Spirit instructs us on love and ability without love:

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1Co 13:1-3).

“Tongue talking” for the sake of “tongue talking,” or with no real godly aim in mind, is useless and not God honoring as it lacks love. Tongue talking for any purpose other than God’s purpose is lacks love of God and others. Moreover, God grants the ability to speak in a foreign language to those who can understand it for the purpose of evangelism. Indeed, this is what happened at Pentecost.

6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, "Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 "And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? 9 "Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God." 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean (Act 2:6-12)?”

As the foreign language speakers sat stunned that these “Galileans” were somehow proclaiming the glories of God in their respective (foreign) languages, consider what happened next. We must not miss this.

22 "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know-- 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 "But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power… 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls (Act 2: 22-41).”

As the Spirit says in 1 Corinthians 14, “tongues are a sign for the unbeliever,” and as we see this applied in Acts 2, the purpose was to cause the foreign language “hearer” or “speaker” to stop and take notice, some getting saved as was the case when three thousand souls were added to the church.

Multiple people, dozens of people, speaking all at once, in the Spirit’s mind rather than causing the unbeliever stop and take notice forces the unbeliever to conclude “that you are mad (1 Corinthians 14:23).” The Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, writes, “18 I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:18-19).”

The preoccupation that many today have with speaking in tongues, the all too common mass demonstration of “the gift” by some (described earlier), is contrary to all that pleases God. Tongues are a sign God employed to bring men to Christ as at Pentecost and beyond. He did not intend tongue speakers to “put on a show,” or to worship Him in our own way but to do so according to His will. This was to problem the Holy Spirit addressed with unruly Christians in the unruly Church at Corinth. Some would reasonably conclude that this misuse of an alleged gift from God is a problem in too many churches today. It appears to be a temptation for too many professing Christians who say they love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

Given the all too sad current state of affairs with “speaking in tongues” that pervades our churches these days, every thinking and maturing believer needs to ask and answer for himself, or herself, the following questions. Please prayerfully consider these questions.

ONE: Is today's practice of speaking in tongues consistent with God’s principles for such a practice? Put another way: “Is the use of tongues in many churches today inconsistent with what the Bible teaches?” What does the Bible say about multiple instances of speaking in tongues?

27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret (1Co 14:27);

TWO: If tongues are to be a sign to unbelievers, then is the speaking in tongues that occurs in many worship services consistent with the will of God? If it is not consistent with the will of God, then should this wrong practice not be stopped?

THREE: If today’s practices are often unbiblical, then what does this mean for pastors, church leaders, believers, and churches where these unbiblical chapters have been allowed or encouraged?

FOUR: What, if any, attitudinal changes need to take place in our hearts? What changes will we make? Are we willing to change?

Many point out instances where new believers in the New Testament spoke in tongues at the point of salvation. How does this square with what we just observed from the Scriptures? It is just as likely that just as many will ask, “What about the languages of “angels” referred to in 1 Corinthians 13:1?” Others may ask “What about a private prayer language, alluded to in 1 Corinthians 14:14?” What do we say about these things? First, we must remember to avoid building a theology around a single verse. The Mormon cult justifies its practice of proxy baptism for those who were already dead by a single verse: “Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them (1 Co. 15:29)?” Let us be careful not to take theological leaps based upon practices with which we have become accustomed.

Beloved, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 discusses spiritual gifts and their use and application. These passages are “purpose built” to explain what is and is not appropriate in terms of the use or employment of the spiritual gifts that God grants according to His will. Let us never endeavor to attempt to employ one verse against another to provide us with the latitude to misuse the gifts and graces that God entrusts to His people. Let us review the Spirit’s admonition and instruction regarding the gift of tongues:

22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad (1Co 14:22-23)?”


Consider the context of this passage. What conclusions might we draw about tongues?

19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature (1Co 14:19-20).


We must not misuse any blessing God bestows upon us. Nor should we ever employ what is holy for selfish purposes. We must not be children in our thinking, “22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…(1 Corinthians 14: 22).” Why tongues? According to the Bible, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers. Tongues were to be a means of evangelism, or proclaiming the gospel to those who might not otherwise understand the words the evangelist spoke. Tongues are not for a display of our glory or giftedness but for the salvation of the lost, as a sign to the unbeliever.

PS: our next post will be on or before August 13th.